Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Inspection number 331445 Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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Background information ............................................................................... 3

Inspection judgements ..................................................................................... 3 Scope of the inspection..................................................................................... 3

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Overall judgement ........................................................................................ 6

Effectiveness of provision.................................................................................. 6 Capacity to improve ....................................................................................... 6

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Achievement and standards ......................................................................... 8

Quality of provision .......................................................................................... 9 Leadership and management .......................................................................... 10 Equality of opportunity ................................................................................. 10

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Sector subject areas ................................................................................... 13

Sport and leisure............................................................................................ 13 Employability training ..................................................................................... 16 Family Learning.............................................................................................. 19

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Inspection judgements

Inspectors use a four-point scale to summarise their judgements about achievement and standards, the quality of provision, and leadership and management, which includes a grade for equality of opportunity .

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Key for inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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Key for inspection grades

Further information can be found on how inspection judgements are made on www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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Scope of the inspection

In deciding the scope of the inspection, inspectors take account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and comments from the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) or other funding body. Where appropriate, inspectors also consider the previous inspection report ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ), reports from the inspectorates’ monitoring visits, and data on learners and their achievements over the period since the previous inspection.

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Scope of the inspection

In addition to reporting on overall effectiveness of the organisation, its capacity to improve further, achievement and standards, quality of provision and leadership and management, this inspection focused on specialist provision in:

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Scope of the inspection

 Sport and leisure  Employability training  Family learning

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Description of the provider

1. Stoke-on-Trent City Council (the council) contracts with Staffordshire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide learning opportunities in adult and community learning and work-based learning. It is also the main contract holder for a European Social Fund (ESF) Skills for Jobs consortium.

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Description of the provider

2. Adult and Community Learning is a section within the Employment and Skills division, which is part of the council’s Regeneration directorate. It provides personal and community development learning and first steps provision. Adult and community learning subcontracts most of the provision (approximately 70%) to Stoke-on-Trent College and to voluntary and community sector organisations and local schools. Adult and community learning had just over 4500 part-time learners in 2007/08.

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Description of the provider

3. Adult and community learning directly manages Wedgwood Memorial College, which provides residential, workshop and short course provision, as well as being a venue for meetings, conferences and training courses. The council also directly manages provision for teaching assistants.

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Description of the provider

4. The council’s work-based learning provision is also located in the Employment and Skills division, with 21 learners on apprenticeship programmes in sport and leisure and 50 learners on Entry to Employment (E2E).

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Description of the provider

5. The ESF Skills for Jobs contract started in April 2008, with activities with clients in place from January 2009. At the end of January 2009, a total of 546 individuals have engaged with the providers and 270 unemployed people have received support.

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Description of the provider

6. The rate of unemployment in Stoke-on-Trent in March 2007 was 5.6%, with the national average then at 5.5%. Around 23% of working age people in Stoke-on- Trent have no qualifications. The number of young people achieving 5 or more GCSEs at A* to C in 2008 was 61%, compared with the revised national average of 65.3%.

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Summary of grades awarded

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3 Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4 European Social Fund Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Summary of grades awarded

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Summary of grades awarded

Achievement and standards Satisfactory: Grade 3 Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4

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Summary of grades awarded

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3 Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4

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Summary of grades awarded

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3 Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4 European Social Fund Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Summary of grades awarded

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Sector subject areas

Employability training Inadequate: Grade 4

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4 European Social Fund Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

7. The effectiveness of the council’s provision are satisfactory for adult and community learning and ESF and inadequate for work-based learning. Provision is good in family learning, satisfactory in sport and leisure and inadequate in employability training (E2E).

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

8. Achievement and standards are satisfactory overall. Learners develop good personal, vocational and employment related skills. Apprenticeship framework completion rates are broadly satisfactory on the sport and leisure apprenticeship programmes, but progression is poor in E2E.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

9. The quality of provision is satisfactory overall. Teaching and learning are good in family learning and on the teaching assistants’ programmes and satisfactory in adult and community learning and work-based learning. The range of programmes meets the needs and interests of learners and employers well.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

10.Guidance and support for learners are satisfactory overall. Information, advice and guidance are usually appropriate. In the sport and leisure apprenticeship programmes, support for current learners is particularly effective.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

11.Leadership and management are satisfactory for adult and community learning and ESF, but inadequate for work-based learning. The council has a clear strategic vision for developments across the provision. Partnership working is good. Quality improvement is insufficiently thorough, particularly in E2E. The use of accurate data to secure improvements in the provision is insufficient and the monitoring of safeguarding arrangements is not sufficiently thorough.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

12.Equality of opportunity is satisfactory. Partnership working to widen participation is very effective. A satisfactory equality and diversity action plan focuses on a range of relevant actions. Publicity materials contain positive role models. Staff training is satisfactory.

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Capacity to improve

13.The council has demonstrated satisfactory capacity to improve. A well established and clear strategic vision is in place for the development of the adult and community learning, work-based learning and ESF provision. A strengthened senior management team in 2008/09 have quickly identified key areas for improvement and have taken swift action to secure improvements. Partnership working continues to be good. Learners continue to develop good personal, social and vocational skills. The reviewing and recording of learners’ progress and achievement is now satisfactory. The quality of provision is variable; for example good in family learning, satisfactory in apprenticeship provision in sport and leisure and inadequate in E2E. The need for further improvements remains in quality improvement arrangements, safeguarding and in Skills for Life.

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Capacity to improve

14.The council’s self-assessment processes are satisfactory and sufficiently inclusive in adult and community learning and work-based learning. The ESF provision was not involved in the self-assessment process. The report is comprehensive and detailed. In some aspects of the provision, particularly in work-based learning, the report does not sufficiently identify the key strengths and areas for improvement or provide accurate data. Inspectors awarded some lower grades than the self-assessment report.

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Key strengths

 Good development of learners’ personal, social and vocational skills  Clear strategic vision for future development  Very effective actions to meet the needs and interests of under-represented groups  Good partnership working

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Key areas for improvement

 The quality of the E2E provision  The further strengthening of quality improvement arrangements  The further strengthening of safeguarding arrangements  Implementation of a Skills for Life strategy

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

15.Achievement and standards are satisfactory overall. Learners develop good personal, vocational and employment related skills. In family learning, the development of learners’ personal skills and confidence is good. In neighbourhood learning in deprived communities learners develop a good range of employability skills. On teaching assistants’ programmes, learners develop skills highly applicable to their work in schools. Learners on personal and community development learning programmes at Wedgwood Memorial College develop a good range of creative skills. Apprentices in sport and leisure and learners on the E2E programme develop good vocational skills.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

16.Retention is high in the adult and community learning provision and on the teaching assistants’ programmes. In-year retention in 2008/09 is very high on apprenticeship programmes in sport and leisure. Progression from family learning and teaching assistants’ programmes is good.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

17.Success rates on externally accredited programmes for teaching assistants are broadly satisfactory. In 2007/08, success rates on family literacy and numeracy programmes range from satisfactory to good, but are low in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). Framework completion for apprenticeships in sport and leisure has been variable but was broadly satisfactory in 2007/08. Progression rates for E2E were poor, at 42%, in 2007/08, with insufficient achievement of literacy and numeracy qualifications for learners with identified needs.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

18.The quality of provision is satisfactory overall. Teaching and learning are broadly satisfactory. Teaching and learning are good in family learning and on teaching assistants’ programmes, with use of a good range of teaching and learning activities, active learner involvement in sessions and good learner progress. Teaching and learning is satisfactory to good on programmes at Wedgwood Memorial College and satisfactory overall in the neighbourhood learning in deprived communities provision. Teaching, training and learning are also satisfactory in work-based learning apprenticeship programmes and in E2E. The use of information and learning technology is satisfactory. The council does not have sufficient information on the quality of teaching and learning on the provision subcontracted to Stoke-on-Trent College. Most learners have access to an appropriate range of learning resources. Accommodation in adult and

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

community learning and work-based learning is satisfactory overall.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

19.In work-based learning, assessment practice and reviews are satisfactory on the apprenticeship programme. Internal verification arrangements are appropriate. The use of the E2E passport and of individual learning plans is poor in E2E.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

20.The provision meets the needs and interests of learners well. The council carefully targets the provision to widen participation in communities where learners do not traditionally engage with learning and with providers who meet learners’ specific needs and aspirations. Good progression routes are in place for teaching assistants and in family learning. On work-based learning apprentice provision, learners benefit from enrichment activities which support the development of their vocational skills. Learners on the E2E programme have access to vocationally relevant work-experience placements. 21.Guidance and support for learners are satisfactory overall. Information, advice and guidance are usually appropriate. Literacy, numeracy and language support are insufficiently developed across the provision. The adult and community learning provision subcontracted to Stoke-on-Trent College contains a strong

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

emphasis on Skills for Life, which is established into the provision. However, the council does not have sufficient information on the impact on learners of this approach.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

Adult and community learning Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3 Work-based learning Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4 European Social Fund Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

22.Leadership and management are satisfactory in adult and community learning and ESF and inadequate in work-based learning. The council has a clear strategic vision for future developments across the provision. The bringing together of the management of the different funding contracts within the Employment and Skills division of the Regeneration directorate has greatly enhanced the management of the provision. Strategies are closely aligned with the council’s broader priorities, as well as with the LSC local and national priorities. Managers are strongly focused on tackling unemployment and deprivation and equipping learners with the skills they need to improve their lives.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

23.A strengthened senior management team in 2008/09 has quickly identified key areas for improvement, with swift actions to secure improvements in many areas. However, this has not yet had a sufficient impact in work-based learning.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

24.Partnership working is good. Partnerships with other City Council departments, with Stoke-on-Trent College, local schools, voluntary and community sector organisations and local employers work effectively in attracting a wide spectrum of learners.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

25.Partnerships for the delivery of the neighbourhood learning in deprived communities provision, managed within adult and community learning, are particularly successful in reengaging learners through a wide range of First Steps short courses designed to develop employability skills, with a 42% increase in the number of learners in 2007/08 when compared with the previous year.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

26.The council’s partnership with Stoke-on-Trent College, which delivers just over 70% of the adult and community learning provision, is well established and effective. The college delivers an agreed programme of courses. Most learners have good access to the full range of College services, such as signers, interpreters and adaptive technology. Adult and community learning provision’s management of Wedgwood Memorial College is satisfactory.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

27.Procedures for recognising and recording learners’ progress and achievement are satisfactory in adult and community learning. However, the identification of learners’ personal objectives and targets and the recording of learners’ progress are inadequate in E2E. 28.The management of the ESF Skills for Jobs consortium is satisfactory. The work is underpinned by a good needs analysis and the jobs, enterprise and training centres are well located in areas of highest deprivation. The programme is satisfactorily delivered in partnership with a wide range of providers and agencies. The contract clarification process for the delivery of client engagement and intervention activities started in January 2009. It is too early to judge the effectiveness of this provision.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

29.Equality of opportunity is satisfactory. The council has a comprehensive and appropriate range of policies relating to equality and diversity, which meet its statutory requirements. Equality and diversity have a high profile and are standard agenda items for most meetings. A satisfactory and recently-updated equality and diversity action plan focuses on a range of relevant actions. Partnership working to widen participation is very effective. Publicity materials contain positive role models. Staff training is satisfactory.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

30.Adult and community learning satisfactorily monitors the premises of potential subcontractors to ensure they are accessible to learners with impaired mobility. Adult and community learning learners are satisfactorily introduced to equality and diversity and how to recognise and follow up unfair treatment. Apprenticeship induction programmes and reviews satisfactorily cover equality of opportunity. The promotion of equality of opportunity is satisfactory in E2E and learners have a satisfactory understanding of their rights and responsibilities. However, reviews do not sufficiently cover or record issues relating to equality and diversity.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

31.The council recognises the need to fully implement a Skills for Life strategy across the provision and is working to assess needs in the locality. In E2E, literacy and numeracy provision to meet learners’ individual needs are insufficient.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

32.The use of management information to monitor the adult and community learning and work-based learning provision is insufficient. Delays in the uploading of learner information in adult and community learning results in data not being sufficiently up-to-date or accurate. Recruitment targets for personal and community development learning have not been met for the past three years. However, in 2007/08 recruitment targets were exceeded in wider family learning. The use of data in E2E is inadequate and E2E data has been inaccurate for several years. The council implemented new data management arrangements in January 2009, with early indications of some improvement in the accuracy of the E2E data.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

33.The procedures for safeguarding learners did not meet current government requirements in adult and community learning at the time of the inspection. A small minority of staff did not have current Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks in place. When this had become apparent in February 2009, swift action was taken to ensure that checks were carried out immediately and that appropriate arrangements were put in place. The monitoring of the currency of CRB checks was not sufficiently thorough. Safeguarding arrangements were satisfactory in ESF and work-based learning.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

34.Quality improvement arrangements are not sufficiently thorough overall. They are adequate in ESF. A range of useful data is routinely collected on clients engaged on the Skills for Jobs programme. Contract monitoring and auditing are satisfactory. In adult and community learning, although the council carries out monitoring visits at the college, it does not carry out its own observations of teaching and learning and does not have sufficiently detailed information on the quality of this provision.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

35.The council does directly observe the other subcontracted adult and community learning provision and the teaching assistants’ provision, but the reports do not focus sufficiently on learning, action plans are not always clearly identified and there is some over-grading. The monitoring of the neighbourhood learning in deprived communities provision is satisfactory. Quality improvement arrangements in work-based learning have had insufficient impact on improving the provision. Quality improvement arrangements on the E2E programme, where progression rates are poor, are inadequate. New managers in work-based learning have not yet received sufficient training and development in key areas such as self-assessment, observations of teaching and learning and safeguarding.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

36.The self-assessment process is satisfactory overall. In adult and community learning and work-based learning, most partner organisations were involved to some extent and the views of learners were collected. The ESF provision was not involved in the self-assessment process.

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Satisfactory: Grade 3

37.The self-assessment report is comprehensive and detailed. In some aspects of the provision, particularly in work-based learning, the report does not sufficiently identify the key strengths and areas for improvement or provide accurate data. Inspectors awarded some lower grades than the self-assessment report.

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What learners like:

 The friendly and supportive tutors  Learning so many new things  Gaining in self-confidence  Developing skills and qualifications to make them more employable  The time working with their own children  The work experience placements

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What learners think could improve:

 The accommodation in some venues  The duration of some of the introductory courses which are currently too short

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Context

38.In 2008/09, 18 learners are enrolled on apprenticeship programmes and 3 learners on advanced apprenticeship programmes. Most learners are aged 16 – 24. Programmes include operational services, activity leadership, exercise and fitness at level 2 and leisure management at level 3. Nineteen per cent of learners are female, 9% have a declared disability and 8% are from minority ethnic groups. A development manager and three tutors manage and deliver the programmes.

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Strengths

 Very high retention in 2008/09  Good development of learners’ vocational skills and confidence on apprenticeship programme  Highly effective support

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Areas for Improvement

 Insufficient impact of quality improvement arrangements  Insufficient impact of recruitment strategies

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Achievement and standards

39.Achievement and standards are satisfactory. Learners develop good vocational skills and confidence. For example, learners training to be life guards demonstrate good resuscitation skills and the effective capacity to place casualties in the recovery position. Learners demonstrate good skills and confidence when instructing in fitness and exercise.

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Achievement and standards

40.Retention is very high in 2008/09, with all 21 learners retained to date (April 2009). Success rates are satisfactory overall. The apprenticeship framework completion rate increased from 39% in 2005/06, to 92% in 2006/07, but fell to 76% in 2007/08. In the same period, learner numbers declined from 31 to 17. The advanced apprenticeship framework completion rate was 33% in 2005/06 and 67% in 2006/07. No learners were enrolled on advanced apprenticeships in 2007/08. The council does not sufficiently analyse success rate data in the self- assessment report.

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Achievement and standards

41.The standard of learners’ portfolio work is satisfactory. Learners are making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their programmes. Progression to other programmes or employment is satisfactory.

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Quality of provision

42.Teaching and learning are satisfactory. In the better sessions, tutors make good use of a variety of approaches and activities to engage and stimulate learners and classes are well planned and well managed. The use of information and learning technology is satisfactory. The weaker sessions are characterised by too much teacher directed activity, insufficient differentiation and too slow a pace for some learners.

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Quality of provision

43.The reviewing of learners’ progress is satisfactory overall. Learners have regular interviews that are conducted in accordance with review planning targets. Tutors effectively check portfolios, progress and assessment plans. The checking of learners’ understanding in relation to equality of opportunity is insufficient. Learners have targets for a range of programme activities. Although sometimes these targets are too generic and difficult to measure. Employers participate in reviews and set useful employment targets.

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Quality of provision

44.Assessment practice is satisfactory. Assessors brief learners before assessments and provide written guidance. Verbal feedback is given immediately after an assessment and written feedback at a later date. Feedback to learners on how to make further improvements is good. Assessors use a satisfactory range of assessment methods.

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Quality of provision

45.The programmes are effective in meeting the needs and interests of learners who wish to develop skills in sport and leisure. Apprentices have a six week induction period where they are assessed and then placed on programmes to suit their individual needs and interests. Learners have additional opportunities to get involved in swimming galas, boxing, gymnastics and football and to work as part of an events team. Learners greatly benefit from work-placement opportunities.

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Quality of provision

46.Support for current learners is highly effective. Tutors provide significant support for learners Both in on and off-the-job training which engages and motivates them very well. Support for learners with personal issues is also good.

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Quality of provision

47.Additional learning support is satisfactory overall. Learners’ literacy and numeracy needs are assessed during induction, with few learners requiring support. Tutors provide individual support for those learners with identified needs, but they are not all qualified to provide this support. Formal procedures and arrangements for additional support are insufficiently developed.

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Leadership and management

48.Leadership and management are satisfactory. In 2008/09, the move of work- based learning into the council’s Employment and Skills division and Regeneration directorate has strengthened the strategic leadership of the apprenticeship provision. New curriculum management arrangements are in place. Communication and team working are good. Effective action to develop new partners has resulted in additional placements with local leisure centres. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

49.Staff have access to a range of opportunities to develop their professional skills. A programme of professional development activities, which includes child protection and equality and diversity training is planned, but has yet to be fully implemented. Managers have not had sufficient training in self-assessment and report writing, safeguarding or in carrying out observations of teaching and learning.

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Leadership and management

50.Equality of opportunity is satisfactory. Tutors and learners have an effective understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regard to equality of opportunity. Learners are able to describe what action they would take should they need to complain or to appeal against an assessment decision. Learners also usefully study units in their National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) that effectively cover conduct, behaviour and how to deal with one another and the public in an equitable way.

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Leadership and management

51.In work-based learning the council carries out appropriate CRB checks for staff and learners who have direct contact with children. The training team receive training on child protection on an annual basis

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Leadership and management

52.The impact of quality improvement arrangements is insufficient. In 2007/08, managers did not carry out any graded observations of teaching and learning to secure improvements. Observations in 2008/09 are not sufficiently thorough, focus too much on teaching and insufficiently on learning and do not lead to sufficiently clear action planning to secure improvements. The self-assessment process for 2007/08 was insufficiently thorough. The report does not sufficiently identify the key strengths and areas for improvement in the sport and leisure apprenticeship provision and is overly generous in the grades awarded.

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Leadership and management

53.Recruitment strategies to the programme have insufficient impact. Learner numbers have declined from 31 in 2005/06 to 17 in 2007/08. Recruitment targets for both female learners and learners at level 3 have not been met. The council recognises this and is taking appropriate action to address these issues.

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Context

54.In 2008/09 to date, 50 learners have enrolled on the E2E programme, 80% of them males. The E2E vocational strand provides training in relation to the sport and leisure industry. A work-based learning manager, a quality and performance manager, a senior tutor and five tutors manage and deliver this programme. Classroom training takes place at one main site, with work-placements and sport and physical activities offered at different locations across Stoke-on-Trent. All learners have work-placement opportunities.

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Strengths

 Good development of learners’ vocational skills  Strong emphasis on the vocational training programme

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Areas for improvement

 Poor progression from E2E  Inadequate use of E2E passport and individual learning plans  Insufficient literacy and numeracy provision to meet individual learner needs  Inadequate impact of quality improvement

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Achievements and standards

55.Achievement and standards are inadequate overall. The development of learners’ vocational skills is good. Learners develop knowledge and skills in the sport and leisure industry. They learn about good health and safety practice and improve their timekeeping and team working skills. They also make significant gains in confidence and in positive behaviour.

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Achievements and standards

56.Learners’ individual progress in the development of literacy and numeracy skills is not sufficiently documented. Although learners have access to literacy and numeracy external qualifications, the achievement of these qualifications is insufficient. Learners also have opportunities to gain a vocational qualification at level 1. Data on learners’ achievement of this qualification are not sufficiently robust. Nevertheless learners’ achievement of this additional qualification is insufficient. These issues are not identified in the self-assessment report.

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Achievements and standards

57.LSC data indicates that progression from E2E was poor at 32% in 2006/07 and 42% in 2007/08. In year progression in 2008/09 is low at 30%. Learners’ progress in the achievement of their individual personal objectives is not reliably measured.

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Quality of provision

58.The quality of provision is inadequate overall. The emphasis on vocational training in sport and leisure is strong. Tutors are experienced in the industry and learners benefit from their knowledge and skills. All learners attend vocationally relevant work-placements, which supports them well in the development of occupationally relevant skills.

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Quality of provision

59.Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Learners engage in a wide range of physical and sporting activities. An outdoor residential learning event is used well to promote team working. Planning for individual sessions focuses too much on the activities learners will be involved in, rather than on planning to enable learners to achieve clearly identified learning objectives. More confident and more able learners are not always sufficiently challenged. The use of information and learning technology is insufficient.

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Quality of provision

60.The use of the E2E passport and individual learning plans are inadequate. Not all components of the E2E passport are completed. The E2E programme plan is not used sufficiently to identify learners’ specific goals and objectives. The use of the E2E activity plan to plan and record individual activities for learners is inadequate. Most learners’ files do not contain any completed activity plans. The individual learning plan is not a working tool to identify and record learners’ targets and individual progress. The identification and recording of learners’ progress in personal and social development and literacy and numeracy skill development is inadequate. Reviews of learners’ general progress do take place on a regular basis. However, target-setting is imprecise and general, rather than specific to learners’ identified needs and personal learning goals and objectives. Tutors pay insufficient attention to planning for learners to move on and to progress.

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Quality of provision

61.Personal support for learners is satisfactory. Tutors refer learners to other agencies as appropriate, for example for specialist help with substance abuse, behavioural issues, homelessness or pregnancy.

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Quality of provision

62.Provision to meet learners’ individual literacy and numeracy needs is insufficient. No overall strategy or policy is in place for literacy and numeracy support. Arrangements for individual support for learners are informal rather than systematic. Not all tutors are appropriately qualified to provide support. Specific literacy and numeracy targets that relate to individual learner’s needs are not clearly identified, recorded or monitored. Feedback to learners does not sufficiently cover literacy issues, such as the incorrect use of grammar and punctuation in written work.

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Leadership and management

63.Leadership and management are inadequate overall. In 2008/09, the move of work-based learning into the council’s Employment and Skills division and Regeneration directorate has strengthened the strategic leadership of the E2E provision. Communication and team working are satisfactory. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

64.The promotion of equality of opportunity is satisfactory. Marketing materials use positive images from across Stoke-on-Trent’s communities. Staff have attended equality and diversity training and reinforce learners’ understanding of equality of opportunity as appropriate. For example, during an observed session discriminatory comments were effectively challenged by the tutor, which led to a useful discussion about views on sexuality. Learners have a satisfactory understanding of their rights and responsibilities. However, reviews do not sufficiently cover or record issues relating to equality and diversity.

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Leadership and management

65.In work-based learning the council carries out appropriate CRB checks for staff and learners who have direct contact with children. The training team receive training on child protection on an annual basis.

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Leadership and management

66.The impact of quality improvement arrangements is inadequate. Managers do not routinely or systematically use management information to monitor the provision to secure improvements. Data for E2E has been inaccurate, for example the data on learner progression used in the 2007/08 self-assessment report. The council implemented new data management arrangements in January 2009, with early indications of some improvement in the accuracy of the E2E data. The systematic monitoring of the provision is insufficient. LSC data indicates that progression from E2E is poor, yet managers do not sufficiently action plan to secure improvements in progression rates. Processes for the observation of teaching and learning are inadequate.

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Leadership and management

67.The self-assessment process for 2007/08 was insufficiently thorough. The report does not sufficiently identify the key strengths and areas for improvement in the E2E provision and is overly generous in the grades awarded.

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Context

68.In 2008/09 1093 learners have enrolled on family learning courses. Four hundred and one learners enrolled on family language, literacy and numeracy (FLLN) courses and 692 learners on wider family learning courses. Family learning courses take place at 74 venues throughout Stoke-on-Trent. Seventy per cent of learners are women, 9% are from minority ethnic groups and 4% have declared a disability. Most FLLN courses are 30 hours, delivered over 10 or 15 weeks. The longer courses lead to a literacy or numeracy qualification from entry level to level 2. Wider family learning courses are two hour workshops or short courses delivered over four to twelve hours. Courses take place during the day. The provision is subcontracted to Stoke-on-Trent College and other partner providers, including the library services, schools, and voluntary and community organizations.

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Strengths

 Good development of personal skills and confidence  Good progression  Good teaching and learning  Very effective partnerships to widen participation

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Areas for improvement

 Insufficient range of wider family learning courses

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Achievement and standards

69.Achievement and standards are good. Retention is high across the family learning provision. The development of learners’ personal skills and confidence is good. Learners on wider family learning courses greatly enjoy the activities and increase their confidence in helping their children at home. Learners support each other well and share their knowledge and understanding. The standard of learners’ work is good.

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Achievement and standards

70.Progression within and from family learning programmes is good. Thirty nine per cent of FLLN and 33% of wider family learning learners progressed to further courses or training. Parents who have attended wider family learning courses have gained sufficient confidence to take on voluntary roles within the schools. Several learners have also gained part time jobs at schools.

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Achievement and standards

71.The council data for 2007/08 indicates that success rates in family literacy were high at entry 1 and level 2 and satisfactory at level 1 and in family numeracy were high at entry 1 and level 1 and satisfactory at level 2. Success rates in family ESOL were low, for example at 18.8% at entry 1 and 21.4% at entry 2.

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Quality of provision

72.The quality of provision is good overall. Teaching and learning are good. Tutors are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and develop good relationships with learners. Lesson planning is detailed and thorough. Tutors use an interesting range of teaching and learning activities and learning resources. References to home activities and how children learn are frequent and reinforced well. Every Child Matters themes are well incorporated into workshops on healthy eating and family budgets. Learners make good progress.

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Quality of provision

73.Assessment is satisfactory. Most tutors assess learner progress effectively using a traffic light system to demonstrate learning that has taken place. Accommodation is satisfactory. All centres used for family learning courses are accessible for learners with impaired mobility. The use of information and learning technology is inconsistent in wider family learning.

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Quality of provision

74.Wider family learning courses specifically set up to attract fathers, for example on robotics and on building go-karts, have been very successful. In addition an ESOL family learning course was successfully set up for Polish learners to meet an identified need. However, the range of wider family learning courses is overall insufficient. Opportunities for parents to attend family learning courses outside of school hours, for example in the evenings, at weekends or during school holidays, are insufficient. The self-assessment report identifies an over-emphasis on workshops and short courses in the family learning provision. Outreach workers do an effective job in attracting learners who have not previously accessed learning opportunities. However, some providers are not able to offer sufficient courses to meet learners’ needs and interests. Currently the capacity to deliver additional courses is insufficient.

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Quality of provision

75.Guidance and support are very effective overall. On FLLN courses, learners receive good information, advice and guidance about progression opportunities. Additional support for learners is effective on FLLN courses, although not all additional support needs are met across the family learning provision. On wider family learning, outreach workers provide effective advice and guidance at the beginning and end of the courses and learners with literacy or numeracy needs are referred to specialist classes. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Quality of provision

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Leadership and management

76.Leadership and management are satisfactory. Partnerships to widen participation are very effective. The council works through well established partnerships with Stoke-on-Trent College and other partner providers, including libraries, schools and a good range of voluntary and community organisations, to deliver the family learning provision. The targeting of the provision in deprived areas and to reach specific groups is particularly effective. Formal and informal communication is very good and good practice is shared at events such as the practitioner conference.

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Leadership and management

77.Quality assurance is satisfactory. Standardized paperwork has been introduced to ensure consistency across the provision. Providers have a guide to the delivery of family learning courses and the council carries out monitoring visits to the subcontracted providers. However, the council does not have sufficiently detailed information on the quality of the subcontracted provision, particularly on the quality of teaching and learning. The council’s use of data to monitor the provision is insufficient. Data are not sufficiently used to inform planning and target-setting and data on success rates in FLLN is not sufficiently clear.

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Leadership and management

78.Equality of opportunity is satisfactory. Targets for recruiting learners from minority ethnic groups have been exceeded. Resources are monitored to ensure they promote positive images. Outreach workers and schools make good use of community languages to attract parents. For example, posters written by children in a number of languages, including Chinese and Urdu, were successful in recruiting their parents to a course in their school. Learners’ understanding of equality of opportunity is satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

79.The self-assessment process is satisfactory and the report was successful in identifying most of the strengths and areas for improvement and the grade for the family learning provision.

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